Just a Little Crush
by OmniRorek
Summary: Jaune has a crush on his teacher. Just a little one. But it's starting to affect his grades, and finding out his widower dad is getting remarried certainly doesn't help things. Now his new stepmom and her two daughters are living together with them. And one of them is...his teacher? It was supposed to be a simple crush, but things just got a lot more complicated.
1. Double Trouble

**Hey there! First off, thanks for clicking on this story and hopefully giving it a chance. I really appreciate it, and I hope you stick around!**

**Some of you might think this premise feels familiar, and that's because it is. Anyone who keeps up with seasonal anime has probably heard about Domestic Girlfriend, which came out last season. I loved the anime, and immediately blitzed through the manga after it was and now eagerly await every new chapter weekly. This idea came into my head not long after catching up to the manga and it wouldn't leave, so I figured I'd try my hand.**

**For those of you who have watched or read Domestic Girlfriend and are worried of a straight reskin with RWBY characters, I promise you this isn't that. I'm borrowing the beginning ****premise, and maybe a few plot ideas, but the characters are completely different, so things can't pan out the same without people being wildly OOC.**

**Either way, I don't wanna say too much, as I like to have readers come in as fresh as possible to new fanfics, but I really do hope you enjoy.**

0o0o0o0o0

There was only one thing Jaune Arc knew for an absolute fact. He was hopelessly and unequivocally in love with his teacher.

He didn't know when it had started. It almost felt like he had always felt strongly towards her, though he knew that wasn't the case.

Some might say love was a strong word, but calling it a simple crush felt too childish. Jaune knew what crushes felt like, and this was not it. He knew he was prone to falling for girls, especially during his middle school years. It usually passed soon enough, carried by the wind of time. Fleeting.

Not this time.

Never had he felt so drawn to try and talk with her at any opportunity. Never had his mind wandered off mid conversation when he suddenly thought of her. And never had he stayed up late into the night, chest aching at the thought of their distance.

At first he thought it would pass, like all the others. But it was almost halfway through the school year now, and it seemed to only grow.

The impossibility of it made it all the worse. No matter how happy the sight or thought of her made him feel, the aftertaste of inevitable defeat always left a pit in his stomach.

She was young for a teacher, but she was still worlds apart. Even disregarding their age gap, no self-respecting teacher would ever risk their job for a relationship with a student. His love was doomed from its inception.

He sighed at the tragedy of it all. Too late, however, he realized they were supposed to be reading. _Silently_ reading.

"Is something the matter, Mr. Arc?" He winced at her tone. "Is the text not _engaging_ enough for you?"

"No, ma'am. I mean, yes it is, ma'am. Uh, I mean-"

"Please refrain from disturbing the other students with such outbursts in the future. See me after class. And I've told you before not to call me ma'am."

A few poorly hid snickers rolled across the classroom. Mortified, Jaune covered his face with his hands to cover the rising blush.

"Yes, Ms. Schnee."

0o0o0o0o0

Winter Schnee tapped the back of her pen on her wooden desk rhythmically. She looked up at Jaune, who averted looking directly at her for more than a few seconds at a time. Her gaze softened.

"Jaune, we've talked about this."

He wilted. "I know," he said in a small voice.

"You know you can tell me what's bothering you," she said as she leaned forward to catch his eyes.

_Not this,_ he thought bitterly. "I know," he said instead.

She tossed her pen onto her desk in frustration. "Then why won't you say anything? You're grades have been dropping across almost every subject. You barely pay attention in my class anymore. I'm sure if I asked your other teachers, they'd tell me the same thing. You're smarter than this! I know you are!"

The pit in his stomach grew, and a cold feeling spread upwards from it, numbing him.

"Maybe I'm not as smart as you think I am," he said, the words coming out harsher than he intended.

His tone didn't phase her, however. She sat their, with an understanding look on her face. Jaune's brows furrowed. She understood _nothing_.

"Is it Cardin? I can talk to him again if you-"

"No!" he shouted. Ms. Schnee raised an eyebrow. In a quieter voice he said, "No, no, it's not Cardin. He still takes jabs at me, but he hasn't tried to physically do anything. I can handle words."

"Then _what_, Jaune. And don't tell me it's nothing." She seemed intent on prying the information out of him. Her concern warmed his heart, but she was digging dangerously close to a secret that should never see the light of day. If this continued the way it was, she would eventually find out exactly what was distracting him enough to affect his schoolwork.

The only way to appease her was to throw her off his scent. A lie believable enough that she would stop trying to uncover his hidden problem. But Ms. Schnee was no fool. A straight up lie would never work. She would know it for what it was instantly. So he would just have to sprinkle a little truth in there.

"It's not nothing," he said after a few moments to get his story straight. "But it's also nothing you can help with. It's just family stuff." He paused intentionally, as if he was unwilling to continue.

"Go on, Jaune. Anything you say will be held in confidence, I promise." She motioned to the seat next to him, so he placed his backpack on the floor and sat down.

"Ever since my mom passed away when I was a kid, my dad has been kinda distant. He still took care of me and all that, but it always felt like he wasn't living. Just...existing, y'know?"

A strange look passed across Ms. Schnee's face for a split second, but it disappeared so quickly that Jaune couldn't identify it. She nodded.

"Anyway, recently he's been a lot more lively. Talking more. Taking care of himself. Smiling. Which is all great, don't get me wrong! Except…" Jaune paused at his own sincerity. Maybe he wouldn't have to lie after all.

"Except…?"

"He's been going out at nights. When I ask him where, he dodges around the question. I can tell when my dad is trying to hide something. He's _really_ bad at it." _Guess that's where I got that from,_ Jaune thought,

"I'm pretty sure he's seeing someone. I don't want to call him out on it, since he probably has his reasons for not telling me, but at the same time, I don't really know how to feel about it if I'm right."

"Why's that?" Ms. Schnee asked.

Jaune sank into the chair. "It changes everything. For the longest time it's just been me and my dad. I just don't know how I'll feel about someone else coming into that."

He sighed deeply. "And that's why I've been so distracted lately. Sorry for unloading all that onto you, Ms. Schnee." He managed a small smile. "But technically you asked for it."

She rolled her eyes, but the corner of her lips pulled up a bit. "Yes, I supposed I did. And I don't mind at all, Jaune. You can always talk to me about anything. That's what I'm here for."

Ms. Schnee looked up at the clock on the wall and her eyes widened. "I'm sorry to cut this short Jaune, but I have a meeting to get to." She started to pack things into her bag. "My apologies for taking up your after school time, but I'm glad I know what the problem is now. Hopefully we can move forward with a solution and get those grades up."

He grabbed his backpack and left with her. They said their goodbyes after she locked the classroom door, and he listened as the click of her heels got softer as she power-walked down the hallway.

Jaune took a deep breath, the stale air tasting as fresh as a mountaintop breeze. Whether through luck, skill, or some combination of both, he had gotten out of that situation without revealing himself. Of course, Ms. Schnee would want to check up with him later about his home situation, but that was a problem for future-Jaune.

His phone had several unread messages from Ren and Nora, asking where he was. After a quick response saying he was on his way, he walked off in the direction of their meeting place.

Mind wandering as he walked, Jaune thanked whatever force was out there that he had such amazing friends. Without them, he wondered if his life would have been as bad as his years at Signal. Jaune's middle school years had been some of the worst in his life. Cardin and his lackey's hadn't made it easy for him in any way and Jaune had no friends at school since he had moved to another district after elementary.

That had all changed during the summer break after eighth grade.

Then in high school, he had met his best friend, Ren, and it didn't take long to figure out him and Nora were a package deal. A person's life could change so drastically in such a short amount of time, and he was living proof.

It took about five minutes to reach their meeting spot, which was at the entrance. Beacon Academy had a big campus for a high school, and it needed it since its reputation drew a lot of student from across Vale. Unfortunately, that made walking to the entrance from Ms. Schnee's classroom, which was his last period _and_ at the far back of the school, a pain.

As soon as Jaune saw Ren standing under the shade of a tree, he felt more at peace. The long haired boy had always had that effect on people, and Jaune appreciated it now more than ever.

"Yo," Jaune said, holding out his fist.

"Hey," Ren said as he responded to their usual greeting by rapping his knuckles against Jaune's.

"Where's Nora?" Her absence was immediately noticeable, given Jaune hadn't been glomped yet.

"Mom needed help at home, and I won the toss." Ren shrugged. Whenever their adoptive parents needed one of them for something, Ren and Nora used the flip of a coin to decide who would go. "It's just me and you today." He gave a small smile. It had been a while since just the two of them hung out, and it seemed long overdue. That dream was not meant to last, however.

"Whassup, dudes!" Neptune yelled as he threw an arm each over Jaune and Ren's shoulders. Jaune let his head drop with a sigh. He supposed he could hang out with just Ren another time.

"Hey, Nep," Jaune said. "Where's Sun?" The two transfer students were usually never far apart.

A sly grin made its way onto Neptune's face. "He's out working his magic. We'll see him soon enough."

"Uh oh."

Neptune pouted. "C'mon, don't be like that, Jaune. It'll be fun, I promise." The grin returned. "There'll be _girls_."

Jaune rolled his eyes so hard he thought they might fall out of his head. "That's even worse than I thought. I refuse to go along with another of your insane schemes that's doomed to fail."

"Okay, first of all, that hurts. Second of all, this isn't my idea. Sun is the one setting everything up."

"And that's supposed to make me feel better, how?" Jaune asked.

Neptune lightly punched him on the shoulder. "Look, Sun knows this girl from another school, and they're trying to set up a mixer. But we need a one-to-one ratio, so you two have no choice in the matter." Neptune put his hands togethers, almost as if in prayer. "Please?"

Jaune sighed and looked at Ren. The long-haired boy shrugged, but he didn't seem against it. That was easy for him to make that decision since Ren had always been weirdly good at blending into any social group, even being as quiet as he was.

Jaune was the opposite. Socially awkward, especially with girls, Jaune had never been comfortable in big groups. He prefered a small, but close, circle. Really, it was a miracle that he had made friends with Sun and Neptune when they had transferred over from Haven Academy at the beginning of the semester, though that was mostly due to their persistence.

Jaune thought of Ms. Schnee. Deep down, he knew what he had to do. It was a conclusion he had known for a while now, but didn't want to admit. As much as his instincts rebelled against the idea, he had to move on. What better way to start on that path than a mixer?

"Okay, fine," Jaune said after a pause. "We'll come."

Neptune shouted in joy. "Thanks man! I'll owe you one, I promise."

"Yeah, yeah, you better. Where's this thing gonna be anyway?"

"Sun's gonna text me in a bit for the exact location, but we decided somewhere in downtown would be cool. I borrowed my mom's car today, so I can drive us there." Jaune nodded, and they headed off to the student parking lot.

Though not the most sporty ride, Neptune's old sedan got them from place to place when they needed it. Jaune's dad used the only car they had to go back and forth from his work, and Ren was in a similar situation with his family, so Neptune was usually their sole provider for transportation.

The drive was pleasant, Jaune had to admit. He usually got butterflies in his stomach before hang-outs like this, but Neptune's positive attitude and Ren's quiet assurance had a soothing effect. Though he kept it to himself, Jaune thanked his friends for the simple reason that they were who they were.

Sun eventually sent Neptune the meeting place over text, though no address was needed. Everyone knew where the Vale Fashion Galleria was. Though there were other malls, the Galleria, as most people called it, was the biggest and most popular.

Jaune agreed with Sun's pick. It was a good place for a larger group, since any type of food or store could be found at the Galleria. There was something for everyone, no matter their taste.

It took half an hour to drive through traffic, and another five minutes to find parking near the food court. Sun greeted them at the entrance, and he had an energetic aura about him.

"What's good, guys?" Sun said with a dopey grin. "You ready?"

They nodded, and Jaune felt a little of his friends' excitement wash away his own nervousness. Sun led them to a corner of the food court where four girls sat on one side of a long table.

"Girls," Sun said as he gestured with his arms, "these are my friends." They all introduced themselves one by one. The girls then then took their turn.

"Hey, I'm Arslan."

"Reese here!"

"My name's Octavia."

"Weiss."

Jaune ended up sitting across from Weiss. In a flash, everyone else was making conversation. Even Ren was contributing. Jaune felt lost. It wasn't that he had nothing to say, he just didn't feel like talking over everyone to say it.

He looked at the girl across from him. She was the only other quiet one. While the other three were all smiles, she had a neutral expression on her face. Maybe she was just as nervous as he was?

"So...Weiss? Nice to meet you. How do you know Sun?"

Her cold blue eyes settled onto him. "I don't."

Jaune swallowed hard. So not nervous, she just didn't want to be here.

"O-Oh. What school do you go to?"

"Haven Academy."

"Cool, cool. How do you like it there?" Jaune felt an odd determination to get her to open up.

"The curriculum is suitable enough."

Jaune scratched the back of his head. "I...see."

Before he could say more, Sun got everyone's attention and told them to get food and meet back at the table. Arslan and Reese followed Neptune and Sun as they wandered off to go get burgers. Octavia, with a glint in her eye, grabbed Ren by the arm and dragged him off. By the time Jaune turned back around to ask Weiss what she was going to get, she was gone. With a sigh, he put his hands in his pockets and walked off to figure out what he was in the mood for.

So far the mixer was going about as well as he had expected. He couldn't even blame the fact that he had sat across from the only girl who seemed to be as uninterested in the mixer as he was; any seating order would have left him out of the conversation. You couldn't find your way into a discussion if you didn't want to be there in the first place.

Jaune eventually settled in line at a sandwich place. There was only a few people in front of him, but the man ordering was taking forever. A small bubble of irritation bubbled up inside Jaune. He was annoyed at the line, at the man, at his friends for basically dragging him here, at his stupid feelings that he couldn't let go of, and mostly at himself.

Seeing a familiar head of white hair to his left, he turned to see Weiss standing in front of the sushi shop next to the sandwich place he was at. Her arms were crossed, and though her face seemed calm, her index finger relentlessly tapping on her arm betrayed her frustration.

Jaune watched her for a bit to see what she was doing, but she seemed rooted at the spot. Hunger forgotten, he abandoned the line and walked up to her.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

She jumped slightly, but tried to hide it was a cough. "No, of course not."

"Well, there's no line, and you've been standing like that for a solid minute." Jaune smiled. "Unless you're still trying to decide on what you're getting, and sorry if I'm being presumptuous, but you don't seem the indecisive type, then something's wrong."

Weiss looked to the side, color barely dusting her cheeks. "Well, aren't you sharp-eyed?" She looked back to him, this time with a glare. "If you _must_ know, I...seem to have left my purse in my car."

"So just go get it? You can't have parked that far," Jaune said, confused.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Wow, why didn't _I_ think of that?" She leaned forward dangerously. "We came in Reese's car. Mine's still at Haven's parking lot."

"Ah," Jaune said, finally understanding as he pulled out his wallet. "Well, I was gonna get a sandwich, but I wouldn't mind some sushi. What do you want?"

Weiss looked at him as if he were crazy. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Paying?" Jaune said with a raised eyebrow.

She narrowed her eyes. "What's your game?"

Now it was Jaune's turn to look at her as if she had grown a second head. "Uh, not letting you go hungry? It's really not a big deal." Jaune felt her scrutinize him.

"Okay," she said finally. Jaune nodded, and they stepped up to the register to order. In a softer voice, "Thank you."

They ordered, and Jaune handed over the cash, silently weeping at how little was left in his wallet. He and his dad were by no means poor, but neither could they frivolously spend. As Jaune's dad liked to tell him, life could throw nasty surprises at you at any time and they always costed a pretty penny.

"I'll pay you back, I promise," she said with an intense look as they waited for their food.

"I'm telling you, it's fine. It was only like, ten bucks." Weiss pouted, and Jaune laughed at her expression, which caused her to pout more.

"You know," he said as they grabbed their trays of food, "you're a lot livelier than you were at the table."

"I'm not really...the best at stuff like this."

Jaune nodded. "I'm the same way, honestly, it's just that Neptune and Sun manage to drag me to these things somehow."

"You don't seem the type to be friends with guys like that."

Jaune chuckled. "As if they let me have a choice. They're a bit loud, but they're great friends. Ren and I are lucky to have them."

Weiss seemed to mull that over while they walked the rest of the distance back to their table. Everyone else was already there.

Sun stood up and motioned with his hand for them to hurry up. "Finally! Took you two long enough," he said, though he had a grin on his face. Jaune groaned internally. Both Sun and Neptune had shit-eating grins that told Jaune he'd have to answer some questions in the car about Weiss.

After Jaune and Weiss sat, the rest of the group continued their conversation as they ate. Though he might have imagined it, he felt as that Weiss was little more lax in her posture and expression than before.

When everyone had finished, Neptune suggested they stroll around and window shop, so they got up to make the circuit around the mall. Jaune kept to the back of the group as they walked. He was content with letting his friends take the lead.

It was a unhurried process, but he noticed Weiss slow down bit by bit until she was only a few steps in front of him. Almost nervously, she maneuvered herself next to him as they walked.

"Thank you," she said, quiet enough that the others couldn't hear.

"I told you it wasn't a big deal."

"Not for that," Weiss said as she shook her head. "For not mentioning...my scar."

Jaune tilted his head slightly. "What's to mention?"

Weiss' eyes widened for a split moment. "Most guys either see it as an imperfection that ruins my face or can't shut up about how much it turns them on. Both bring unwanted attention to it. Both are just as annoying."

Of course, Jaune had noticed the mark since it was hard not to given its location, but there really was nothing to say about it. If she was insecure about it, or a bad memory was attached to it, what good would bringing it up do? Besides, she would've looked great with or without it.

"Honestly? I think it makes you look cool. Like some kind of battle hardened warrior."

Weiss laughed, the sound like a crystal flute. The contrast to how bored she had looked earlier made Jaune smile. If nothing else came of this mixer, he was glad he could bring a little joy to someone.

"You've been watching too many Spruce Willis movies."

Jaune hummed as the group walked into a clothing store. The dark lighting and overused aromas gave the place a 'new' and 'hip' vibe, or so Jaune guessed. It was a relatively big store, and the group split up naturally as people wandered off to check out a shirt or pair of pants that interested them.

Jaune made a show of looking at a few clothes, but he knew he wouldn't get anything. The prices here were way out of his league.

He felt a bump on his shoulder. A grin on Ren was a rare thing, so Jaune was confused when he saw it. Had something good happened that he had missed?

"So, you and Weiss?"

Jaune chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, man, it's not like that. She's cool, though."

Ren sighed in disappointment. "Not old enough?"

With a half-joking glare, he lightly punched Ren on the arm. "Hey! What about you, ladies man? Octavia's practically melting on top of you."

Ren's face fell a bit. "She's a bit...much. Seems like a nice girl, but not my type."

"Oh? Not orange-haired enough?" Ren punched him back, harder than Jaune had. "Woah," Jaune said as he rubbed his shoulder, "that actually hurt, man."

The uncharacteristic anger on Ren's face slipped away, replaced with regret. "I'm sorry. That's just...not something you should bring up."

Jaune understood, and guilt flooded him. That _was_ a very complicated situation, and he shouldn't have brought it up. "You're right. I'm sorry, too."

They smiled at each other, and all was forgiven in that instant. Jaune and Ren had never been angry at one another for more than a few seconds. It was one of the best parts of their friendship.

Octavia's voice rang from a deeper part of the shop, calling Ren's name. With an agonized look, he trudged off to be tortured with sickly sweet flirtations. Jaune quietly laughed to himself.

Moving to a different part of the store, he saw Weiss looking intently at a glittery skirt. "You trying to memorize how it looks?"

Weiss jumped and immediately turned to glare at him. "Y'know, it's generally accepted that sneaking up on people is something you _don't_ do!"

"I didn't sneak, you were just too entranced by the glitter." Jaune took it from her hands and held it up in front of Weiss to get an idea of how it would look on her.

"If you have a coat that matches the color, this would look really nice on you." Weiss blushed and mumbled a quick 'thank you' as she took the skirt back. "Of course, only someone who doesn't forget their wallet in their car could buy this."

Weiss stuck her tongue out at him. "Meanie." Jaune chuckled at her childish antics and wondered if this was actually the same girl as before.

_It's incredible what a bit of comfort can change in how a person acts,_ he thought.

They moved from store to store, never taking more than ten minutes at each. No one really bought anything, but Jaune supposed that wasn't the main point anyway.

The rest of the hangout went by quicker than he expected. Before he could even process what was happening, the two groups were saying goodbye and parting ways. As his friends walked away, he glanced at Weiss, who smiled when their eyes met and gave a small wave. With a twinge of a feeling he couldn't quite place, he waved back and caught up to the others.

Temporary joys always came to an end at some point. Jaune tried to tell himself it was no big deal. He wasn't sure he succeeded.

0o0o0o0o0

"Dad! I'm home!" Jaune yelled as he close the front door. His backpack flew, landing nearby on the carpet. Taking a quick turn into the kitchen, he opened the fridge for an ice cold drink of water. The drive back from the mall had been long thanks to rush hour traffic, and even with the air conditioner on, Neptune's car had been sweltering. It hadn't helped that Sun and Neptune pestered him with questions about what he and Weiss had done. Which had been nothing, of course, but even his adamant refusals weren't enough for them.

His dad was sitting on the couch in the living room, complete attention on the phone in his hand. He had a faint smile on his lips. Jaune almost stumbled mid-stride. Nicholas Arc _never _faintly smiled. He chuckled or guffawed or grinned. Usually, he didn't even do those. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

"Uh, Dad?" Jaune said hesitantly.

Nicholas finally noticed his son with a jolt of surprise. "Oh, Jaune! I didn't even notice you come in." If Jaune didn't know better, he'd say there was a bit of nervousness in his dad's voice. He didn't miss how Nicholas covered his phone's screen from view.

"How was school?"

"Same as usual," Jaune lied. Bringing up his sinking grades would do nothing for Nicholas' strangely chipper mood. The facade was nothing new, anyway. He never talked about anything negative in front of his dad if he could help it. Less likely to trigger a depressive episode that way.

"Good, good. You hungry?" Nicholas slipped the phone into his pocket. Jaune pretended not to be extremely suspicious.

"I'm good for now. Ate with the guys at the Galleria. Gonna go lay down for a while," he said as he trudged off towards his room. His dad grunted in acknowledgement.

Jaune shut his door and fell onto his bed without turning on the lights. Today had felt like it lasted forever. His eyes drifted, but he struggled to keep them open. If he slept now, he'd wake up in the middle of the night, ruining his sleep schedule.

He eventually compromised, shutting his eyes but staying awake. It was impossible to quiet his mind; the events at school and the mall replayed over and over in his head. A deep sigh escaped him.

Jaune didn't know how long he lay like that, but eventually he heard a knock. With a grunt to grant admission, he heard the the door open.

"Jaune," Nicholas said as light poured into the darkened room, "can we talk for a bit?"

Sensing the seriousness of his tone, Jaune sat up on his bed. "Yea, Dad, of course."

After turning on the light, Nicholas sat in the chair at Jaune's desk and swiveled to face him. "Listen, I know this is kind of sudden, but I haven't been able to find the right time to tell you." Worry wormed into Jaune's stomach.

Nicholas took a deep breath. "I'm thinking of getting married again."

Jaune's heart skipped a beat out of pure relief. For a brief moment, his imagination had run wild with a hundred nightmare scenarios.

"Oh, that's it? I kinda figured you've been seeing someone for a while," Jaune said with a shrug.

Nicholas seemed taken aback. "You...have?"

"You weren't exactly subtle about it Your mood was better and you were going out at nights with almost no explanation." The corner of his mouth pulled up a bit. "Either you were going to the strip club or you were going out with someone. It was _probably _the latter."

"Then you're...alright with it?"

"I mean, it's been almost ten years since Mom died. I'd be dumb to think you might not remarry eventually." Jaune kicked his foot out and tapped his dad's leg with it. "And you seem a lot happier. Go for it."

Nicholas sat there, mouth agape. Then, to Jaune's surprise, he rubbed unshed tears from his eyes. "Thanks, Jaune," he said with a shaky voice. "Thank you so much." Trying not to cry himself, Jaune stood up and gave his dad a hug.

After a moment, they separated. Nicholas scratched at his beard, looking nervous again. "There's one other thing. She's coming over later tonight for dinner." A cough. "Also, she has two kids who are coming with her." Without letting Jaune process that bombshell, Nicholas sped out of the room, closing the door with a thud. Jaw wide open, Jaune stood there for a good minute.

"_Excuse_ me?"

Now in panic mode, Jaune stormed through his closet to find nice clothes to wear. Throwing some possible combinations onto his bed, he jumped into the bathroom connected to his room. He definitely needed a shower after sweating up a typhoon in Neptune's car.

The cold water running down his back helped calm him down a bit, though his heart still beat abnormally fast. Meeting a new stepmom and stepsiblings? That was a lot to take in, especially on short notice. His pulsed raced faster, so he took deep breaths to slow it again.

He couldn't hide in the shower forever, as much as he'd like to. Hardening his nerves, he dried up and got dressed. He kept it simple and casual with jeans and a long-sleeved shirt.

His nerves kept him from doing anything but sitting at his desk and waiting. Each second felt like a minute. Each minute, an hour. Finally, when it seemed an eternity had passed, his dad opened the door again. Jaune was so inwardly focused that he jumped when the noise interrupted his thoughts.

"They're gonna be here in a minute," Nicholas said, his excitement practically bubbling over. "Let's greet them at the door."

Jaune gulped as he followed his dad to the entrance. He shuffled from foot to foot. This was all too sudden. He should ask his dad if they could do this another day. Or maybe he could just run out the back and come back when-

A knock on the door. Jaune's heart rate tripled. Nicholas opened the door, and there stood a woman. She had white hair, light blue eyes, and an overall older, refined look. It was oddly familiar.

"Hello, Nicholas!" she said warmly. "I'm so glad you could have us over. Girls, don't be shy, come introduce yourselves."

Jaune took a step forward to say his greeting but froze before he could speak. Standing behind his soon-to-be new stepmom were two girls, both spitting images of their mother.

Weiss.

And Winter.

"Jaune?!" they both said in unison. They looked at each other, confused.

"How do _you_ know him?" Weiss asked.

"He's one of my students at Beacon," Winter replied matter-of-factly. Weiss' eyes widened in surprise. "I think the better question is how _you_ know him."

"I met him today at a mixer Reese set up." Winter's eyes narrowed. Jaune knew that look well; it had been directed at him a bit too often for his liking.

"Oh, how wonderful! It's almost like fate, isn't it, Nicholas?" His dad nodded. "My name is Willow Schnee. It's so good to finally meet you, Jaune." She raised her hand, which Jaune dazedly shook. "Nicholas, these are my daughters, Weiss, my youngest, and Winter, my oldest."

"Your mother gushes about you two so often, I feel like I practically know you already."

Willow blushed and swatted at him playfully. "Nick! You're embarrassing me."

Jaune felt a bit lightheaded as everyone walked inside the house. They sat around the dining room table, with Nicholas and Jaune at the ends. Weiss and Winter were on either side of Jaune. The food had already been set up.

Finally clearing his head enough, Jaune spoke before anyone else could. "So, h-how did you two meet?"

"I'm interested in that story, as well," Winter said. Her voice sent a shiver down Jaune's spine. She was _here_. At his _house_!

His dad went into a story about some work related event that they first met at. Jaune barely paid any attention. Though he tried not to, his eyes kept wandering to Winter. She looked regal and calm. Wasn't this weird for her?

Nicholas ended the story, and him and Willow laughed. Jaune broke out of his stupor.

"Interesting," Winter said. "You told me his first name, mother, but never his surname, so I never made the connection to Jaune, here. What an incredible coincidence."

Jaune gulped. Did no one else see how strange this whole situation was? Apparently not, since the conversation continued without a hitch.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," Jaune said in a quiet voice. No one seemed to notice as he got up and left, but that suited him just fine. He turned into a hallway and slipped inside the guest bathroom, since it was closer than the one in his room.

For a brief moment, Jaune just stared at the reflection in his mirror. He took a breath to steady himself. Emptying his mind as much as he could, he stared into his own eyes. A minute passed, and reality felt a bit more under his control.

After splashing his face with water and drying it, he started back to the living room. As soon as he walked out, he saw Weiss leaned against the wall across from the door. She gave him a curious look.

"Are you okay?"

Jaune scratched his jaw. "Yeah. It was all just a bit much to take in at once, but I'm good now."

She briefly gave him a concerned look, but shrugged and walked away. Jaune followed her back to the dining room table. Nobody made a comment as he sat down, so he assumed only Weiss had paid enough attention to notice anything.

Winter turned to him as his dad started another story. "Jaune."

"Yes, Ms. Schnee?" he said nervously.

She chuckled. "If we're to be stepsiblings soon, then you can't be calling me that. Winter is fine."

"Okay," Jaune said, "...Winter."

"Much better," she said, and her expression warmed up a bit. "You don't have to be so nervous."

_I kinda do,_ he thought, but he chuckled anyway. "I guess. It'll take some getting used to, to be honest."

Winter nodded with a quick, birdlike motion. "Of course. Moving to a completely different home with three new people can be quite a change."

Jaune's mind blanked. "Uh...what?" A small part of his brain screamed that he was stupid for not realizing it sooner.

"Didn't your father tell you we were all moving within the week?" A single eyebrow rose.

"No," he said, sending a glare to his dad which went unnoticed, "he forgot to mention that." Though it _would_ explain some of the snippets he had heard of Nicholas' phone conversations. Looking back, he should've pieced together that his dad was trying to sell the house.

"I see. Well, I hope you're not too put out by it." Winter's genuine concern surprised him.

"No, no, I really don't mind," Jaune said. "I just wish he had told me about all this beforehand."

Winter hummed in agreement. "I'm sure he has his reasons." She turned her attention back to the rest of the table, leaving him to his thoughts.

The rest of the dinner passed by in a blur. Too preoccupied with the events taking place before him, Jaune barely ate anything. After some more conversation, mostly between his dad and Willow, the Schnees got up to leave.

"It was so great to finally meet you, Jaune," Willow said. Winter nodded behind her, and Weiss gave a little wave. They walked to their car, which was parked in the driveway, and Jaune and Nicholas watched them drive off. As soon as they were out of sight, Jaune turned and punched his dad in the shoulder.

"Ow!" Nicholas yelped. "What was that for?"

"You could've told me about his a bit earlier, y'know! And I had to find out from Ms. Sch- from Winter that we're all moving into a new house!"

His dad rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "You're right, son. I'm sorry. It's just…" The older man sighed. "I was just nervous that you'd be opposed to it all."

Jaune's temper cooled. How could he stay mad at his dad after that? "I'm not. Opposed to it, I mean." Nicholas' face brightened up immediately. "You two look like you make each other really happy. And that makes _me _happy."

"Besides, this house always felt a bit...off, after mom died, so I'm glad we're moving out. I just wish you'd told me all of this at least a few days before." They hugged, and all was forgiven. Mostly.

"I'll go clean up the dishes. You go relax. And thank you, Jaune. You don't know how much you're approval means to me."

0o0o0o0o0

"Wow."

"Yeah, that's pretty much the reaction I expected."

Jaune and Ren sat facing each other in the empty classroom. Their first class had yet to begin, and no one else had come in yet.

"It happened two days ago, but it still feels so surreal to me."

Ren doodled on an random page in one of his notebooks. "So now what?"

Jaune looked at him, confused. "Now nothing. I continue to live my life like I had been. It'll just be...weirder." Jaune knew what he was referring to, but he didn't want to talk about it. Ren sensed this and tactfully refrained from bringing it up in explicit terms.

Winter had already been out of reach, but this added barrier had sealed the deal. It wasn't happening.

"Don't tell Nora about any of this, by the way. You know how she can be."

Ren nodded as though it were obvious. His adopted sister was horrible at keeping secrets. It was best for everyone if she remained out of the loop on this one. Ren was probably the only person Jaune could trust with the full story.

"We've already moved a bunch of out stuff into the new house. We're gonna get the beds in tonight so we can officially move in. It's a pretty nice place, and it's a good opportunity to get rid of a lot of shit we've been keeping around for no reason. Plus it's walking distance from school, which is nice. You should come over sometime when it's all settled."

"Sounds good," Ren replied. The morning bell sounded for classes to start, and students started to file in, so they moved to their assigned seats. Ren's was in the front, while Jaune's was all the way in the back right corner. It took a minute before everyone settled in. Their homeroom teacher, Ms. Peach, strode in and took her place behind her desk.

"Good morning class," she said, "I know it's a bit unusual, but we'll be getting a new student today. She's transferring over from Haven. Let's all make her feel welcome, hmm? Come on in, dearie." All eyes in the class turned toward the door, and the transfer student walked in.

Jaune choked mid-breath. _Weiss?!_ he thought, only barely managing to hold himself back from shouting it out.

She stood there facing the class, head held high, and introduced herself. "My name is Weiss Schnee," she said in a flat tone. "It's a pleasure to be here." The class responded with a multitude of greetings at once, and a torrent of whispers followed.

"Quiet down, quiet down. Let's find a seat for you, dearie," Ms. Peach said with a brimming smile. She hummed as she scanned her seating chart. "Why don't you sit back there next to Mr. Arc!" Jaune noticed Weiss' eyes widen for a moment. "You can ask him any questions about where things are if you need to."

Her surprise passed, and Weiss nodded. As she passed by the rows of students, a bunch of eyes followed her. Jaune understood why. Transfer students were rare, and usually garnered a lot of interest from the general student body. Add it the fact that she was a gorgeous girl, with a bit of a mysterious air about her, and of course people would stare.

She sat, and Jaune floundered on what to do. Should he greet her like normal? Did she want people to know they were soon-to-be stepsiblings? The first few days for a transfer student were important for figuring out where they stood in the social hierarchy. Closely associating with someone like him, who was closer to the bottom, could shatter Weiss' image.

She seemed to have decided for him by sitting down and pulling out a book to read. Oh. Guess they were going with the 'never met' route. He turned to his own desk and opened up a notebook to study for math class.

Though he understood why she had done it, Jaune had to admit that it stung a bit to be ignored. It was an all too familiar feeling. There had been many a time where Jaune had jumped the gun on presuming friendship, only to be let down when he realized it had just been politeness on the other person's end.

Mood soured, Jaune threw himself into his studies, pointedly not looking in Weiss' direction. It was a bit childish, and he knew he would get over it soon, but that didn't stop him from being petty in the moment.

Homeroom passed by in a blur, and Jaune left the room quickly, mumbling a hasty farewell to Ren, who he shared no classes with until later in the day. His best friend shot him a concerned look, but left him to it. Ren was observant enough to have guessed what was wrong.

He was about to turn the corner at the end of the hallway when he heard rapid footsteps approach him from behind. He turned to see Weiss trying her best to catch up with him without running.

"Jaune," she said in greeting.

"Hi, Weiss." Apparently now that there was no one to judge, she had deemed it okay to speak with him.

"I don't know where my next class is. Ms. Peach led me from the front office to homeroom, and I didn't get a chance to look at any maps. You left so quickly I didn't get a chance to ask you in class." She shuffled in place a bit.

"You could've just asked during," Jaune said. "I doubt it people would have cared if you were just asking me for directions."

"Oh," Weiss said, surprise evident on her face. "I didn't know. At Haven, we weren't allowed to speak at all during homeroom."

Jaune berated himself silently as it clicked into place. _That_ was why she hadn't greeted him. There were rumors on Haven's strict policies, and Sun and Neptune had given him first hand accounts about their old school. He shouldn't have assumed the worst. Luckily, he had kept it vague, and she hadn't caught on to his mistake.

"Let me see your schedule," he said with an outstretched hand. She gave him a small piece of paper with room numbers, subjects, and times. "We actually have a few classes together. Including first period. Just follow me." Jaune hesitated. "If that's...cool?"

His doubt was washed away by the palpable relief in Weiss' face. "Yes. Yes it would be."

He led her to the next building over for their first class, which was English. They stayed quiet, but it wasn't awkward, and the walk was short anyway. Once again, Weiss had to introduce herself to the class once it started. She was placed further away from Jaune this time.

Like homeroom, the class was over before he knew it. Unfortunately for Weiss, they didn't share the next class together. He gave her the directions and had her repeat it back so he was sure she knew it.

"You'll be fine," he said when he noticed her hesitate to leave his side.

She huffed and crossed her arms. "Of course I will! What made you think otherwise?" A barely noticeable blush dusted her cheeks.

Jaune chuckled. "I guess I'm just following that 'older brother' instinct."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I think you mean _younger_."

They stared at one another for a long moment, then spoke at the same time.

"January 20th."

"March 6th."

Jaune grinned victoriously as Weiss pouted. "Older brother it is!"

"Hmph! Whatever. I'm going to be late," she said as she stalked off. Jaune chuckled and headed to his next class.

0o0o0o0o0

Fourth period was about to end when Jaune realized his mistake.

During their first break, he had gone to the usual spot near the back of the school to hang out with Ren, Nora, Sun, and Neptune. It had been fun, as it usually was. Except for one thing, that he had only now realized.

He had totally forgotten about Weiss.

Guilt flooded him as he thought about how she must have spent the recess clock ticked towards dismissal. He would make it up to her at lunch. He _had_ to.

The bell rang, and Jaune was out the door before it ended. He vaguely remembered Weiss' schedule, but his memory of it could have been off. Regardless, he rushed off to where he thought she'd be. It was a bit difficult with the hustle and bustle of the student body, but since he wasn't the type to barrel through people, Jaune had long ago learned how to deftly navigate through crowds.

He stopped in front of what he thought was her class, but it was already empty. He mumbled a curse under his breath. Even assuming this wasn't the right room, none of the other classes in the hallway had anyone walking out of them, so they were probably empty, too.

Just as he was about to give up, he saw a flash of white hair turn the far end of the corner. Pushing through every crack and crevice the mob formed, he rushed to catch up to Weiss.

Every time he thought he was making progress, people got in his way to block his path. Jaune usually didn't mind tight spaces, but even this was making him a bit claustrophobic. With a couple hard pushes and shoves, earning him some glares, he managed to worm his way through and catch up a bit to Weiss.

She turned another corner, and Jaune let out an exasperated sigh. Increasing his pace to a jog, he rounded the same corner and ran straight into Weiss.

She stumbled a bit and looked up from her phone. "Hey, watch where you're- oh, it's you."

"Sorry! I was just trying to catch up to you."

Weiss shrugged. "It's fine. Did you need me for something?"

"Yeah," Jaune said, "I wanted to apologize." Weiss' head tilted in confusion. "I totally forgot that I should've shown you where I usually hang out."

"Jaune," she said after a quick laugh, "it's not a big deal. Really."

Jaune frowned. "I...I guess. But I'm supposed to be looking after you."

"Oh." Weiss looked taken aback. "You shouldn't worry yourself so much. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." Jaune opened his mouth to argue but Weiss stopped him by holding up her hand. Her stern look told him she would hear no more of it, so he acquiesced with a nod.

"At least give me your number so I can call or text you for situations like this." Jaune couldn't fathom why they hadn't done it before.

"S-Sure," Weiss said. She rattled off her number and Jaune saved it on his phone.

"By the way, I need to ask you a favor. Can I talk to you somewhere more...private?"

Jaune's heart skipped a beat, but he remembered who he was talking to. _She's way out of your league, idiot! And more importantly, she's gonna be your stepsister soon!_

"Yeah, of course." He followed her into a nearby empty classroom. They sat away from the door so their conversation couldn't be heard by the passer-bys in the hall. "What's up?"

"I...have a favor to ask." Weiss looked to the side. "Can you keep our home situation a secret?"

The request threw Jaune off. He hadn't been expecting that. Actually he didn't know what he had been expecting. "Uh, sure. Why, though?"

Weiss' face scrunched up in displeasure. Jaune thought it was at him first, but quickly realized it was directed at something, or someone, else. "Judging from how you've never brought it up, I'm sure you don't recognize my last name."

Again, Jaune was thrown off from the curve of the conversation once again. "No? I mean I had Ms. Sch- I mean, Winter as my teacher, but that was it."

"I figured," Weiss said with a sigh. "My family is...wealthy. Really wealthy, Jaune. We're old money. Oil and blood made us rich, but we soon expanded into many lucrative business opportunities and became a force to be reckoned with. While I wouldn't say we're a household name, anyone who knows anything about business will likely have heard of us, at least in passing."

"Brag more about it, why don't you," Jaune said with a chuckle, but it died out when he saw her expression. "Are you okay, Weiss?"

"Yeah, I just don't like talking about this. Anyway, I tell you this not to boast, but so you understand where I come from. My father married into my family, weaseled his way into my grandfather's good graces, and inherited the company. He rules with an iron fist and a cutthroat attitude, willing to step over anyone to further his own goals. Needless to say, now that my parents are divorced, my father doesn't want his estranged family members in the spotlight."

Jaune hummed in understanding. "I think I understand. You don't want it common knowledge that your mom remarried, or the tabloids would have a field day."

"Precisely. It's not that we're ashamed of you or Nicholas, it's just that Father would be...very upset if this marriage was made public. He could makeall of our lives hell, Jaune. More that it already is." The last part was mumbled, but Jaune managed to catch it. Who was this vicious man? Jaune already hated him.

"No worries, Weiss. I totally get it." Jaune winced. "I...might have already told Ren. You met him at the mixer, remember?" Weiss nodded. "But I promise he won't tell anyone. He's my best friend, and I trust him with my life."

"Very well," Weiss said. "I trust your judgement." Jaune smiled at the small praise. "Now that _that_ is taken care of, I'd be delighted to meet your friends."

0o0o0o0o0

The final bell. The sweetest sound any high school student could hear. Jaune started to pack his stuff as his classmates headed out. He was sure to be slow so he could be the last out without being too suspicious. As the final student left the room, he walked up to the front.

"Ms. Schnee?"

"You can call me Winter if it's just us," she said without looking up from her paperwork. Jaune hated how her phrasing made his heart pound. To distract himself, he looked down to what she was doing. Her handwriting was incredibly fast and neat. Exactly what he thought it'd be.

"Winter." He still hadn't gotten used to calling her by her first name. It felt...exhilarating.

She stopped her writing and looked up with a small smile. "Yes, Jaune?"

His heart went back to pounding. "I...don't really know. I thought it'd be weird if I just left without saying anything." And he craved any excuse to talk to her.

"Not at all. I don't expect you to act differently around me now. Just be yourself, like you always have. It's what I like about you." If his pulse was fast before, he was in danger of a heart attack now. A furious blush rose to Jaune's face, but luck was on his side, and Winter had already gone back to her paperwork.

"U-Uh, yeah, sounds good. See you later, then." Winter bade him farewell and Jaune walked out of the classroom on unsteady legs. He felt higher than a kite, and nothing could bring him down.

Weiss stood off to the side near the front of the school, and Jaune waved her down. They had already decided after fifth period where to meet so they could walk home together.

"What's got you so happy?"

Jaune grinned. "Oh, nothing."

Weiss rolled her eyes as they turned to head out. They were a block away when Jaune noticed something was wrong.

"Shit!" he said as he facepalmed. "I forgot my backpack in Winter's class."

"You dunce," Weiss said, though there was no malice in it. "Here, let me call her and tell her to bring it to the house with her." She dialed the number, but it went through several rings before going to voicemail. Before she could leave one, Jaune motioned for her to end it.

"It's fine," Jaune said when she did. "I'll just go run back real quick and grab it. Wait here for me." Before she could respond, he turned and dashed back towards the school. He garnered a few stares as he ran up to the front doors, but he paid them no mind.

The school was already mostly empty, so the way back to the classroom was short. He stopped to take a short breath so he didn't look like a fool. Once he was good to go, he opened the door.

"Sorry, Winter, I just forgot my-" He froze as he saw Winter turn around from where she faced the wall.

She was crying.

Jaune's mind blanked. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eon. Before he could say anything, she wiped the tears from her face, though her eyes were will puffy.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," she said in a clipped tone. She took a breath. "It's fine. Just get what you need and leave."

Jaune lowered his gaze and trudged to his desk, where his backpack lay next to his seat. Grabbing it, he turned to leave, but paused at the door.

He turned and locked eyes with Winter. "You can tell me what's wrong. You've always listened when I vented, so it's only fair that-"

"Jaune. Leave." She fixed him with her infamous cold glare that had earned her the nickname 'Ice Queen' among the students. He came crashing down from the high that he had been on. Though he longed to comfort Winter in her time of need, he knew staying would only make things worse.

Hanging his head dejectedly, he walked out of the class. The sound of the door closing behind him rung through the empty hallway.

Jaune wondered if he could've handled the situation better, though he suspected the end result would have been the same no matter what he had done.

In no mood to run, he walked all the way back to where Weiss had been waiting. "Finally," she said in exasperation. "What took you so long?" He didn't answer and kept walking towards home. She caught up to him and gave him a concerned look. "Hey, I was just kidding, it's not a big deal."

"It's not that. I'm fine." She kept silent after that, but through his peripheral vision, he saw her keep her eyes on him.

They reached home without another word exchanged. Nicholas and Willow were still out, so the house was empty, save for them. Jaune went to his room and closed the door. His bed wasn't set up yet, so he slumped on the chair at his desk.

The look on Winter's face was stuck in his head. Jaune had always pictured her as a woman of incredible strength, but at that moment she had looked so vulnerable. And there was nothing Jaune could do about it.

He heard a knock on his door. There was only one person it could be. "Come in, Weiss."

She opened it and stood on the doorway. There was a moment of silence. "Are you sure you're okay? I know we still don't know each other that well, but...we've been doing pretty good so far, and I'd like to think we can trust one another. You can tell me if something is wrong."

Though his heart swelled, Jaune's first instinct was to dismiss her. He stopped when he remembered what it had felt like when Winter had done the same to him.

Jaune sighed deeply. "You can't tell Winter I told you this." Weiss' eyebrows furrowed for a second, but she nodded. "When I went back to grab my backpack, Winter was alone in her classroom. And she was crying." Weiss looked taken aback.

"I tried to ask what happened, but she just told me to leave." Jaune fidgeted with his hands. "Not that I care about that. I just wished I could've helped her with whatever was wrong."

Weiss seemed to agonize over something, and there was a pregnant pause. "I...might know what this is about."

Jaune's head snapped up. "You do? Is she alright? You don't have to tell me any specifics, I just want to know if she's good."

Weiss played with her hair nervously. "No, I want you to know. It's something I need your help on."

Jaune shot her a questioning look. "Last year, Winter started to act a bit weird. I was worried, naturally, but whenever I asked her what was wrong, she would dismiss it as nothing. One time, I...overheard her talking on the phone. With a guy."

A spike of panic shoved into Jaune's chest. "I didn't catch his end of the call, but I did catch enough of her side to piece together what was going on. When I confronted her about it, she told me it was none of my business."

Weiss' fist clenched, and she looked to be in pain. "Winter had _never_ spoken to me like she had that night." She took a calming breath. "With nothing else I could think of doing, I hoped the situation would resolve in time. For a while, she was acting normal, so I thought it did."

She stopped, so Jaune prompted her. "But?"

"But...what you just told me means it hasn't gotten better."

"Couldn't it be unrelated?"

Weiss hummed in thought. "There's a chance, but I very much doubt it. Winter doesn't cry easily, and I know of no other reason for her to be in such a state."

Jaune hit the top of his desk with a fist, not hard, but not lightly either. The silence lingered as he thought of how to tackle the situation. He assumed Weiss was doing the same.

"I hate to admit it, but there's not much we can do. If she…" Jaune swallowed hard. "If she's with this guy, then that's her choice as an adult." The spike wedged itself deeper into his torso.

"If that were the whole story, I'd agree with you." She paused. "The problem is…"

Weiss grimaced. "The guy she's dating is married."

Jaune's jaw dropped. _Winter?_ Winter was having an affair? Winter, who strictly enforced the school rules and made sure her students followed instructions to the letter? _That _Winter?

Jaune almost didn't believe it. He almost called it a lie out loud, but stopped when he thought about it. He trusted Weiss, even with something that sounded as outlandish as this.

"W-What do we do?" The shock from the revelation still stunned him.

"I don't know. But it's hurting her. A lot." Weiss wiped her eyes and sniffed. "Will you help me? Help _her_?"

Determination filled him. Jaune didn't even have to think about it. "Of course."

0o0o0o0o0

**Welp, there it is! This was a very long chapter, mostly because I felt it was a stronger hook like this. If I've done my job right, the reader (you), will be very invested in what happens next. Hopefully. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be, as I've learned long ago that my muse cares nothing for the deadlines I set for myself. BUT this story idea is pretty stuck in my head right now so it probably won't be too long. Probably. Maybe. We'll see.**

**Quick note, I rated this T, but I may move it up to M depending on where it goes.**

**I'd very much appreciate a review, whether good or bad, and constructive criticism is always encouraged. I'd love to hear what you think!**

**Thank you, once again.**


	2. Even If It Hurts

**Hello everyone! Firstly, I just wanna say thank you to everyone who read/reviewed/favorited/followed this story last chapter. The response I've gotten was the best for any first chapter I've posted, and I want you to know everything you do is appreciated greatly. Anyway, sorry for the long wait. Life hits hard, and often, but I persevered and wrote this chapter for all of you. Enjoy!**

0o0o0o0o0

"Y'know, when you asked me to help you, I figured you had a plan in mind to help _with_."

"If I had a plan already, why would I need your help in the first place?" Jaune had to admit, that was a good point. He sighed and took another bite from apple in his hand.

It had been three days since he had agreed to help Weiss figure out Winter's situation, and they had come up with nothing. Even several brainstorming sessions hadn't yielded any promising results. The despair of impending loss was slowly eating away at Jaune's resolve. There was only so much you could try and figure out how to climb an unclimbable wall before you gave up.

They sat in his room, him on his bed and she at his desk. Their move had been completed the day before, and his room had already managed to look lived in with his usual organized mess.

It felt weird to live with three whole new people, but it wasn't unpleasant. Meals became a family thing, which was nice. Jaune didn't have to cook or go get takeout by himself anymore. He had yet to get used to it, but it was easy to see himself getting used to the extra help.

There was also a lot more hands to help with chores. Weiss and Winter were paragons of cleanliness, and so the house was near-spotless at all times. Except, of course, his room, which would remain a mess if he had anything to say about it. It was a hill he was willing to die on. Unless Winter decided to give The Look, which probably meant Jaune was about to die anyway.

He finished up what remained of his apple and tossed it into the small garbage bin, narrowly missing Weiss. She fixed him with a glare, which made her look all the more like her older sister.

"Must you be a slob?"

"Must I? No. Should I? Probably not. Will I? Absolutely." Jaune grinned when she rolled her eyes and grumbled under her breath.

Hands now free of food, he rested them under his head as he stared at the ceiling. Despite sitting there for almost an hour, neither of them had come up with any way of proceeding. Saturday was supposed to be a day of fun and relaxation, but instead they had spent the morning moping about.

"We're not gonna get anything done sitting around like this," Jaune said as he got up and put on his shoes. "Let's go."

Weiss looked surprised at his sudden energy. "And where, might I ask, are we going?"

"Figured we'd explore the neighborhood a bit," Jaune said, shrugging. "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

"No, no, I'll come. It's not like I have anything else to do," Weiss said with cough.

0o0o0o0o0

Even though it was already approaching summer, Vale's cloudy weather kept the city from ever being too hot. This made winter's especially nasty once in a while, but the overall year was pretty mild. It was just another of Vale's strange quirks that set it apart from most places in the United States.

Another of those differences was the unique school year. Most districts start sometime in August or September and end in May or June, with a long summer break to split the years. However, the academies in Vale's school district began the first week of January and ended mid November, with December breaking up the years and a break during June. Jaune had been born and raised in Vale, so he was used to the irregular system, but he understood why many people who moved to the city found it confusing.

Lastly, Vale's layout was odd compared to most cities. In its center was what Vale natives called 'downtown', which was where skyscrapers, malls, and freeways created a tightly packed urban jungle. Surrounding downtown was a large swathe of land, unoriginally called 'uptown', that held the academies and the various homes and small businesses of the city. Though streets didn't even have two lanes, the bus routes and railway system kept traffic surprisingly sparse.

The combination of these two areas, plus the forests to the north and east and the ocean further to the west, made for an odd living experience. In the matter of a few hours, you could feel like you were in New York, then some small midwest town, then the backwoods of the south, and still somehow end up at a beach. Jaune loved it. It was like they had a small slice of the whole country right here for them to enjoy.

Their new home was placed about halfway from downtown to the edge of Vale, and Jaune figured that put them in the best spot to access everything the city had to offer. Walking around their neighborhood had been a good idea. He already felt more at ease.

Judging from her barely noticeable smile, Weiss seemed to be enjoying herself as well. Jaune was glad he had suggested the walk.

"I think I solved our problem," Weiss said, breaking their comfortable silence.

"You did? Do tell." Jaune acted calm, but he yearned to hear it. He wanted nothing more than to break Winter up with this mystery man.

"The reason we can't come up with anything is our lack of information," Weiss said. "We know next to nothing about this whole situation. So, logically, our next step is reconnaissance."

Jaune rubbed his chin in thought. "Makes sense, but how do we even do that?"

Weiss sighed. "That will be the difficult part. The way I see it, the best place to find out more would be from...Winter's phone."

"Oh," Jaune said with a gulp. That would not be an easy task.

"Exactly. And trust me when I say that Winter's phone is almost never out of reach or eyesight."

Jaune didn't doubt it. Winter was the type of person who's phone was their life. Just from what he knew of her as his teacher, she used it to keep track of anything and everything.

"So basically we just have to wait for an opportunity to present itself."

"Yes," Weiss said. "Until then, we can try and come up with an artificial way of separating her and her phone."

Jaune nodded. "Sounds good to me. Nice job, Weiss." She preened at the praise, and they lapsed into silence once again.

They came upon a convenience store and decided to go in. Jaune bought an energy drink, while Weiss got a coffee. He memorized how she made it, for future use.

His phone buzzed in his pocket while Weiss was paying for her drink, and he pulled it out to see he had gotten a text message from Sun in their group chat.

_From: Sun_

_To: Jaune, Neptune, Nora, Ren_

_Hey fam. There's these twins, Melanie and Miltia, that graduated from Haven last year, and they're throwing a huge party at their place tonight. Nep and I knew them before we transferred, and they told us to invite a bunch of people from Beacon._

_Anyway, lemme know if you're down!_

It had been a while since Jaune had gone to a major party. Usually, he didn't care for events like that, but this was the perfect place to unwind from all the stress he had been under recently. His phone buzzed again.

_From: Sun_

_To: Jaune_

_Yo bro. Just wanted to say you're welcome to invite Weiss. I know you have her number, and this'll be a good place for you to make your move. ;)_

Jaune chuckled to himself. If only Sun knew the full details. Actually, Sun would definitely still tell him to go for it, the sick bastard. Either way, Jaune would extend the invitation. Weiss probably wouldn't go, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

They walked out of the store, drinks in hand, and decided to head back to the house. By the time they returned, it would be time to start prepping lunch. Everyone else was out of the house, busy with work, errands, or meetings, so it would be up to the two of them to make something.

Seeing how busy Nicholas, Willow, and Winter were made Jaune appreciate the time he had left as a young adult. In five years or so, he wouldn't have the same freedom he did now. It was important then, he decided, to enjoy that freedom while it lasted.

"Sun knows some chick who's throwing a party tonight," Jaune said when they were halfway back to the house. "Would you wanna go?"

"I'm not really big on social gatherings, if you haven't noticed."

"I know, but it'll be a chance to see people you know from Haven and also meet new ones from Beacon." Despite her icy exterior, it hadn't taken Jaune long to figure out that Weiss was a softie underneath. It wasn't that she didn't want to go to parties and the like, but much like himself, Weiss wasn't well-versed in that area of teenage life, and thus tried to avoid it.

Weiss' mouth twisted and she thought about it. "Will...you be going?" Her eyes were glued to the floor.

Jaune chuckled. "Why else would I ask you to come?"

"O-Okay then."

"Don't worry, if it gets to be too much, just tell me and we can leave whenever," he said as he bumped her shoulder with his own. "Okay?"

She smiled her thanks, and Jaune shot a text to Sun.

_From: Jaune_

_To: Sun_

_I'll be there, and she said she'll come, too. And it's not like that._

He'd probably reply with an innuendo or some other remark, but Jaune would just ignore it.

His stomach rumbled, and his paced increased the slightest bit. Lunch sounded fantastic.

0o0o0o0o0

"You and Weiss are _what?"_

Jaune coughed into his hand. "We're going to a party in a bit. Is...that okay?"

Winter stared at him for a bit before shaking her head. "Of course, I was just surprised. Weiss doesn't usually go to events like this." She brought a finger to her lips.

"I figured it'd be cool to her some of her friends from Haven." Jaune shrugged as he leaned back into the sofa. Winter's reaction made sense when he thought about it. Neither he nor Weiss were the party type.

"May I ask a favor of you, then?"

"Uh, sure," Jaune said.

"Keep an eye on Weiss. She's not used to things like this, and I worry that she'll...I worry." Jaune tried to read Winter's face, but failed, as usual. She had one of the best poker faces he had ever seen.

"I was gonna do that anyway, so that's not even a favor." Though Winter owing him was a tempting prospect, he could never cash in. He was too scared of what he might ask.

"Thank you, Jaune," Winter said. She looked away. "For more than just that." He raised an eyebrow and waited for her to elaborate, but she went back to sorting through some papers in front of her.

Weiss emerged from the hallway at that moment. "I'm ready!" She wore a wavy black skirt and a white shirt with a tan cardigan over it. Her smile dimmed the tiniest bit when she saw Winter sitting at the dining room table, but her excitement was still visible.

Jaune stood up and walked to the front door. "See ya, Winter," he said. To Weiss, "Let's go." The cool night air felt pleasant on his skin as he heard Weiss say her goodbye and lock the door. She caught up to him near the sidewalk. "_Someone_ dressed up, eh?"

Weiss blushed. "T-Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself." Jaune looked down at himself. Form fitting jeans, shirt, and jacket weren't the fanciest things he had, but neither were they very casual.

"I guess," he said with a shrug. He pulled out his phone and started up a transportation app. "I'll call us a car."

Weiss tilted her head in confusion. "Why don't we just take my car?"

"How're we gonna get back then?" Jaune didn't want to leave her SUV at the Malachite twin's house overnight. It was gonna be a pain to get it the next day.

"We'll just drive back, you dolt."

Jaune looked at her sternly. "Weiss, I'm not gonna let you drink and drive. I don't care how well you think you can do it."

Weiss seemed taken aback. "Why would I drink and…" She facepalmed. "I see. There's going to be alcohol there."

Jaune laughed. "Of course! I expect we'll both at least have some, or else we'll never hear the end of it from Sun. Which means no driving."

Though she seemed a bit apprehensive, Weiss seemed to accept it. The car that was supposed to pick them up rolled down the street and picked them up. The driver was mostly silent, which was fine by Jaune. The ride was less than ten minutes. It was rare for anyone to live too far.

As soon as they got out of the car, it was easy to tell which house was the one. Teenagers and young adults loitered around the front and music reverberated from within. As they walked up, a figure ran up to them, waving his hand.

"You guys finally made it!" Sun said excitedly. "I've been waiting out here forever for you. Follow me, I'll take you to where the gang is."

He led them into the house, where pockets of people hung out with drinks in their hands. Mostly everyone that Jaune could see was inebriated to some level. That both scared and excited him.

They got to the backyard, which had the most people by far. Sun practically dragged them to where their friends were. Nora and Neptune greeted them with gusto, and it was obvious they had already had a few drinks. Ren was as composed as ever, and Jaune knew he rarely drank alcohol.

"Jaune-Jaune, let's take a shot!" Nora said. She dragged him along by his arm to a foldable table with various drinks on it. She poured what Jaune thought was vodka into a few red plastic cups, gave a couple to him, and walked back to the group. She handed one each to Sun and Neptune.

Jaune offered his spare to Ren, though he wasn't surprised that his best friend declined with a wave of his hand. He looked to Weiss and held it out to her.

"You don't have to," he said when he saw how apprehensive she looked. Jaune was never one to pressure anyone into drinking.

He pulled it back a bit but she snatched it from his hand. "I just don't like the taste, that's all." They all clinked their cups together in the middle and all downed it at the same time. Jaune felt a surprising amount of liquid burn down his throat.

"Damn, Nora, do you know how much a 'shot' is?" Jaune sputtered.

A wicked grin spread across her face. "I only pour double shots."

Sun snickered as Jaune rolled his eyes. "Come on, J-man, let's go get another. I'm not feeling a buzz yet."

The next few shots went by in a blur, though Jaune remembered taking a few with Weiss. A buzzing warmth blossomed in his stomach and slowly spread throughout his body. When it reached his fingertips, Jaune was pretty sure he was drunk. Not entirely positive, but definitely within the realm of possibility. Probability? It was probable. Possibly probably.

Jaune blinked and realized a great deal of time had passed. The party was still in full swing. Neptune was hitting on a blonde bombshell a few feet from his right. He saw Sun in the middle of a group of people dancing to the rhythmic beat of the song. Ren and Nora were nowhere to be found, and Jaune hoped _something_ was developing, because he was tired of them skirting around the issue.

Weiss was nowhere to be found, which worried Jaune. Why did it worry him? He felt a strong urge to go look for her, but didn't understand why. He groggily got up, and the world spun. And spun. And spun.

And spun.

It settled after half a minute, and Jaune realized he might have had a bit too much to drink. Probably. Possibly?

Jaune shook his head. _I have to...find Weiss._ Inside the house was his best bet. Step by careful step, he made his way inside. He scanned the room he was in, though it was a slow process to get from one end of the room to-

Jaune hurried to a nearby table. He gasped.

"Mini corn dogs." He shoved three into his mouth and all was right in the world for a very brief moment. He grabbed one in each hand and continued his search.

None of the rooms he looked in held a head of white hair, so Jaune took a peak at the front yard. Still no Weiss.

_That's...worrying? Yeah, worrying._

Jaune made his way back to the backyard to ask his other friends if they had seen Weiss, but before he could find any of them, he realized his mistake.

"Technology," he said as he pulled out his phone to text Weiss.

_Weis, whhere are tuou?_

Wow, that looked bad. But he had already sent it, and Jaune wasn't the type to correct his texts. He probably couldn't, even if he wanted to. He felt his phone vibrate.

_At the side of the house._

He lurched over around the corner and turned. The lack of any nearby lights made it a bit dark, but he saw Weiss sitting on a short brick wall that held up a small garden, behind which was the fence that ended the property. Further down, up against the house, were three trash containers, black, blue, and green, and past that was a gate that led to the front yard and the street. From this secluded cove, the ambient sounds of the party felt distant. It was like Jaune had stepped into a different dimension.

"Hey," she greeted simply.

"Whatcha doin out here?" Jaun stumbled over beside her. He tried to sit next to her, but missed the bricks and landed on the floor. He snickered, but decided getting up was a waste of effort.

Weiss' legs dangled next to him, and when she spoke, it was disembodied. "I just needed to be someplace quiet for a bit."

Jaune nodded as if she had said something profound. "I feel you, I feel you."

Though he couldn't see most of her, he heard he lean forward, most likely to take a look at him. "How drunk are you right now?"

"Very," Jaune said. Even as he said that, he felt himself sober up a bit. The mini corn dogs were taking effect.

Weiss hummed and they stayed like that for a bit before she spoke up a bit. "Jaune, what do you think of all of this?"

"It's a pretty nice party, I guess. Could use more snacks."

"No, you dingus, I meant our situation at home. Your dad and my mom marrying, us moving in together, being thrust into this on such short notice."

"Oh," Jaune said. He hadn't given any of that much thought, mostly because he had actively avoided thinking about it. But with alcohol flowing through his system, it was hard to stop himself.

"It's...it's fine, I guess. I mean, your mom is really nice, and she makes my dad happy. I like the new house. Overall, I'd say it's an improvement."

"I'm sensing a 'but' in there."

Jaune frowned. "But...but…I really didn't want to be r-" He froze. Had he really been about to spill his guts about liking his teacher? To his teacher's sister? Who was also his stepsister? That was multiple levels of stupid.

Weiss put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed comfortingly. He swallowed his trepidation.

"It's all a bit much to take in," he said quietly. "That's all."

Weiss prompted him no further, though he suspected she knew that wasn't the whole story.

"Weiss," he said, "what's wrong with me?" Before she had a chance to respond, a hushed sob escaped his lips. Jaune couldn't hold it in any longer. Tears flowed as he wrapped his arms over his head and buried it between his knees. He wept as softly as he could.

Jaune felt Weiss slip her hand into his, and it almost felt like he would injure her with how tight his grip was, but she voiced no complaint. Her other hand ran through his hair periodically.

For how long they stayed like that, Jaune didn't know, but at some point his cries died down. With his emotional energy spent, Jaune felt drained. The dam that had barely held back his frustration had needed only the slightest crack. His unrequited feelings for Winter and the sudden change in his family situation had built up. Jaune was not the type to unload his troubles onto others, and this was the price.

"Jaune…?" Weiss said hesitantly.

He lifted his head with great effort to look at her. "Hey," he managed with a fake smile. Her pained expression told him she didn't buy it.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Jaune sighed, and swallowed the lump in his throat. "No," he lied. He very much wanted to talk about it, but Weiss was one of the last people on Earth that should know about his feelings for Winter, second only to Winter herself.

"Jaune, please. You're helping me with Winter, so it's only fair that I help you." Her genuine concern touched him, but the irony was thick in that statement. Winter was the _reason_ he was helping her. In a way, he was trying to help himself. So in the end, it was selfishness, not selflessness, that drove him.

But still, something compelled him to speak. "I...have a crush." He hesitated, and could almost feel tomorrow's regret already. "On a t-...an older woman." He waited for teasing or laughter, but it never came. When he looked up at her, her expression was one of sympathy.

"How much older?" Weiss asked.

"I'm not sure exactly, but enough that it would be frowned on by most people. And there are other factors that are barriers, too." He took a breath. "It would never work out."

Weiss rubbed his back soothingly. "It's okay, Jaune. You can't help who you fall for."

Jaune was glad she didn't try to say he had a chance, or do the opposite and discourage him. She just spoke the simple truth.

"Thanks," he said, "I feel a lot better." And he was surprised to find that he meant it, too.

They left the side of the house, that small alley where emotions had flowed free, and decided it was time to go home. They called a car using Weiss' phone after saying their goodbyes to their friends. The ride back home had a comfortable silence, and it passed by quick.

The house was quiet and dark, signalling that everyone else was asleep. Jaune turned to go upstairs where his and Weiss' rooms were, but she tugged his sleeve.

"I'm hungry," she said in a low voice at his questioning stare. "And I don't wanna be alone in the dark." She sounded a bit childish until Jaune remembered she had drank too, and was likely still buzzed, same as him. He silently chuckled at the thought.

"I can always eat," he said.

The adjustable light in the kitchen was set to low, and they made sure to keep quiet, though Jaune knew his dad's room was on the opposite side of the ground floor. Willow Schnee's sleeping habits were unknown to him, but his dad slept like a rock.

Jaune whipped them up a few sandwiches and set one in front of Weiss as he began scarfing down his own. She took a bite and made a noise of surprise.

"This is amazing!" she said after she swallowed the first bite. The surprise in her voice irked Jaune just the _tiniest_ bit.

"Thanks," he said with an embarrassed chuckle. "When my dad was in the worst of his slump after my mom died, I had to make all the meals, so I got pretty good at it." That sobered Weiss a bit, and Jaune regretted bringing it up, but she said nothing more and ate her sandwich.

The lights suddenly flared up to their maximum, forcing Jaune to squint his eyes for a few moments. Before his vision could adjust fully, he heard a voice speak out.

"You two are home late," Winter said. "_Very_ late." Jaune gulped. He had heard that tone many times, had been on the receiving end of it, and was sure Weiss had, too. It was Winter's lecture voice.

"Technically, I never said when we'd be home," Jaune said with a wince, regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth. She turned her full attention onto him, and a single eyebrow arched up.

"Oh, we're playing semantics now?"

Jaune lowered his gaze, heat rising to his cheeks. "No, ma'am. I'm sorry." In his peripheral, he saw Weiss with her head practically between her shoulders, trying to look as small as possible. Jaune didn't want to know what would happen if Winter knew they had drank alcohol. At best, she'd give them a talk about responsibility, and specifically berate him for not watching over Weiss. At worst, she'd tell their parents. And that would not be fun.

Winter sighed. "Go on, get to bed." Weiss scrambled out of her chair, and Jaune tried to do the same when an iron grip pushed him back into the seat. "Not you." For a brief moment, Weiss stood there, frozen, looking torn between wanting to help Jaune and getting out of Winter's line of fire, but another glare from her older sister sent her scampering. Distantly, the sound of Weiss' door opening and shutting signalled her final departure. There would be no help coming. No one to save him from the scolding he was about to get.

"Jaune," Winter said. He kept his eyes focused on the floor. "Jaune, look at me." With great reluctance, he lifted his head. Surprisingly, she didn't look angry.

"Maybe I should have asked _Weiss_ to keep on eye on _you_."

"Huh?" Winter grabbed him by the face and leaned in, and Jaune almost had a heart attack. When their faces were almost too close for him to bear, she sniffed. She let go of him and leaned back, nodding to herself as if she had confirmed something. _She smelled my breath to see if I had drank._

"I'm not stupid, Jaune. I think I know you well enough by now to know something is up. I've only been your sister for a short while, but I've been your teacher for a good amount of time." Her eyes softened, and her voice became gentle. "You can tell me what's wrong."

Jaune tasted ashes in his mouth. "Guess that doesn't work both ways, does it?" She recoiled as if she had been struck. He stood up, and she seemed even small than usual compared to his height. "You shouldn't expect others to do what you yourself can't. Didn't you try to teach us that in class one time?"

Winter was pale with shock. "Jaune, I-"

Jaune let his anger and frustration boil to the surface and be magnified by his tipsy state. "I never took you for a hypocrite, Ms. Schnee." The hurt on her face was both euphoric and agonizing. Without another word, he stalked past her. The door to his room slammed shut, and he flopped down on his bed face first.

_That was for the best_, he told himself, as his heart broke. If he had been there any longer, under her caring tone and soft gaze, he might've confessed everything. He thought back to the way she had leaned toward him. How natural it would have felt to press forward and meet her lips with his. How he had almost grabbed her by the shoulders at the end, when he had towered over her, and kissed her roughly.

Definitely for the best.

0o0o0o0o0

**Welp, there it is. A much shorter chapter, for two reasons. One, not really much else I could've added without it seeming like it dragged on. And two, this chapter already took too long to come out, so I didn't want to delay any longer than I needed to. **

**Anyway, a review is always appreciated, even if it's a word or two. And feel free to tell me what you did and didn't like about the chapter! Healthy criticism is always welcome. Remember, part of the reason I'm writing this is to grow as a writer, and I can't do that if no one's telling me how I should do that.**

**I'll try to work on the next chapter as soon as possible, but I wanna get the next one out for one of my other fics before I write chapter 3 for this. We'll see what my muse wants, though. As always thank you for reading!**


	3. Fake It Till You Make It

**Quarantine is both the best and the worst for writing. Sometimes it's literally impossible to focus on with all the bad stuff happening in the world, and other times it flows through me like I'm a man possessed.**

**Basically what I'm trying to say it, sorry this took so long. Not only was it just not being able to focus, I wanted to focus on my own writing for a while, and I got a lot of stuff done for that. But this chapter has been written halfway for the longest time so I buckled down and finished it in the last few days. ****I wanted to just get this out there so I didn't really proofread or edit too much, so forgive any mistakes.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoy! Got a few surprises in store for you. :D**

0o0o0o0o0

Jaune woke up with only the _tiniest_ hangover, which all things considered, was a blessing. Unfortunately, he remembered everything that had transpired the night before. Especially at the end.

_I'm an idiot,_ he thought to himself. _The biggest idiot in Vale._

That it was Sunday was a small mercy; he could shut himself in his room, away from Winter. Come Monday, though, and he'd be forced to face her. Jaune groaned. Had he really almost kissed her? He prayed that she hadn't noticed.

An apology seemed like a good idea at first, but that would lead back to her asking him what was wrong. When Winter had something set in her mind, nothing could stray her from her path. The only thing to do was awkwardly wait it out and hope that in the midst of her thinking about his outburst, she would forget the question that set him off in the first place.

Not a great plan, but the best of the bunch, he supposed. When life dealt a shitty hand, the only way to win was to bluff. There was no folding. To fold was to lose, and Winter would seize that opportunity to get him to spill everything.

Jaune hit the wall with the side of his fist. Things just never seemed to go his way. He scrunched up his face into a frown. The expression should have felt foriegn, but recent events had made it almost natural.

A knock at the door. "Jaune?" Weiss said tepidly. "It sounded like something fell. Are you okay?"

He hesitated a moment, wondering if he should feign sleep, but decided against it. "I'm fine." The tone of his own voice shocked him. He hoped Weiss didn't think he was angry at her.

"Can I...come in?"

And see him in such a sorry state? "No."

Silence, but Jaune didn't hear her move away. Guilt wormed its way into him. His own stupidity had thrown him into this situation. There was no reason to take it our on Weiss.

He sighed. "Fine."

The door opened just enough to let Weiss through, then she shut it behind her. Jaune would have given anything to be left alone, but Weiss least of all deserved his ire and he didn't want her to worry about him, though her face said she already did.

"It was that bad, huh?" She didn't even know the half of it.

"I don't really wanna talk about it."

Weiss frowned. "How about we go get some dessert, my treat."

Her touching concern lifted Jaune's spirits the slightest bit. "Weiss, I don't know..."

"Okay, new approach. Either you come with me to get ice cream or I'll be mad at you." Jaune lifted an eyebrow. "And Jaune? You _really_ don't want me to be mad at you."

"Ugh," Jaune grunted, "can't you let me sulk in peace?" She crossed her arms and started tapping her index finger on her forearm. "Okay, okay, let's go."

Weiss huffed in victory. "You should do well to remember that a Schnee _always_ gets what they want."

Jaune got up and grabbed a long sleeve shirt from the pile on his chair. "Well you should know that an Arc _sometimes_ gets what they want." Weiss smiled briefly before whirling around with a blush.

"What are you doing!" she squeaked.

"Changing shirts?" Jaune said, his shirt halfway up his torso. With one swift motion he flicked it off, the shirt landing in the corner of the room.

"You could've told me to turn around, you dunce!" Even with her facing away, Jaune could see the blush creeping up to her ears.

"Oh c'mon, it's not a big deal." The long sleeve felt silky soft as he pulled it over his head. The sweats he had slept in were acceptable enough for a public appearance. "I'm decent."

"You're the furthest thing from decent!" Weiss said, but she still turned around. The remnants of her blush still lingered on her face. It was adorable the way she could be the picture of control one moment and a flustered mess the next.

"You act like you've never seen a guy shirtless before."

"I have!" she said with a pout. "But I didn't stare at him while he took it off and I wasn't in…" She lowered her voice. "...In his room."

The reality of the situation hit Jaune like a truck, and heat creeped into his cheeks. "Oh. _Oh._ I'm sorry, Weiss. I really didn't mean anything by it."

She cleared her throat. "It's fine. If you're ready then?"

They headed out of the house, and thankfully Winter was nowhere to be seen. Her car wasn't in the driveway, so she must have gone out. The sudden realization that Jaune didn't know much, if anything, about Winter's personal life agitated him. He knew nothing of her interests, her friends, her hobbies. The ache to rectify that almost ate a hole through him, but as he stood with Winter now, it was impossible.

They got in Weiss' car, the only one left in the driveway. It was a small hatchback, not new but the make was reliable and economic. There were a few ice cream places within strolling distance, but all the good ones Jaune knew were further than he was willing to walk.

He realized this was the first time he had gotten into Weiss' car. She was the exact type of driver he expected her to be; cautious and careful, but precise and confident. Even the car's color, a pure white, matched her. He decided then and there to call it Weiss' Icemobile.

A short drive later, she parked in a small plaza that held a dozen different shops. "Oh, I know this place. Sun works here."

"Oh, really? I've only been here twice, so that's probably why I haven't seen him. It's my new favorite place to get ice cream in the city." A giant pink sign that said 'Bruno's Gelato' hung over the glass doors.

"Welcome to Bruno's Gelato, what can- guys?!" exclaimed Sun.

"Oh, hey," Jaune said, "I didn't know you had a shift today."

"Well, I've been trying to work more hours so I can save up for a car, that way we don't always have to use Nep's."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "And what about that cute coworker you told us about? The one you want to impress? That has nothing to do with it, huh?"

"Hey, keep it quiet, man!" Sun said in a panicked voice. "She's in the back right now!" Jaune smiled mischievously, but put his hands up in surrender.

"If you two are done with your antics, I'd like to order," Weiss huffed. The small twitch of her lips told him that she secretly enjoyed it, though. "I'll take a double scoop of chocolate chip, please."

"I'll take a triple scoop of rocky road." Weiss payed for both of them before he could protest in earnest. He grumbled but it was already done with.

"Coming right up!" Sun said with his infectious smile, and moved away from the register to make their orders.

Weiss' perfectly trimmed eyebrow rose high. "A triple?"

Jaune shrugged. "It's one of those days."

For the longest time it had been just him and his dad, and junk food just wasn't a priority when Jaune cooked. When he did decide to eat unhealthy, he figured he might as well take advantage of the opportunity and enjoy the little moments.

It only took Sun a minute to get their orders ready, and he handed them their cups and little spoons at the pick up area. "Here you go, my fine fellows. Enjoy your date!" He said the last part with a wink.

Weiss' blush surely matched his own in intensity. "It's not a date! We were...I was just...we came to...tell him, Jaune!"

"Uh…we're just friends?"

Sun's grin reached magnitudes of shit-eating that Jaune had never thought possible. "I'm _sure_." and he walked back to the register to take a new customer's order.

"Jaune!"

"What?!" he replied frantically.

"You could've been a _little_ more insistent!" The remnants of her blush still graced her cheeks but her indignity was more prominent.

"What else was I supposed to say," Jaune said in mock whisper, "that my new step-sister was trying to cheer me up by taking me out of the house!" It was _Weiss_ who asked him to keep their situation secret..Only Ren knew the truth, and he knew to stay silent about it, too.

Weiss averted her angry gaze. "No! But that rumor floating around could be even worse!" That stung just the tiniest bit, though Jaune knew she didn't mean it that way. She was just worried about her father finding out about her circumstances.

"It's fine," Weiss said with a sigh, and then under her breath, "You're such a dork."

They turned to find a place to sit, but Jaune froze when he saw the two people seated at the farthest end of the ice cream store. Even when she was facing the other direction, Jaune knew that white hair and perfect posture anywhere.

Winter Schnee, sitting across from a man he didn't recognize.

In the back of his mind, he registered Weiss stopping next to him, and her eyes were firmly locked the same place Jaune's were.

He wasn't ready. Not to meet the man who held Winter's affection. Jaune didn't know what he would say, how he would act. It was almost guaranteed he would accidentally reveal his true feelings. It was hard enough living with her and seeing her at school constantly, but if he had to meet...

He instinctively grabbed Weiss' arm in a firm grip, ready to bolt, but his legs refused to move on their own. He wasn't ready, but…

But the image of Winter crying in her classroom wouldn't leave him. Jaune had to know what could do that to her. It wasn't even close to his place to comfort her, but if he could just understand what she was going through, then maybe, just maybe, he could ease her burden a little.

And even if none of that mattered, he had promised Weiss.

Their opportunity to leave unnoticed passed as Winter stood up and turned towards them. Recognition passed over her face before there was a quick flash of panic, then the stone cold poker face she was known for at school. She was dressed casually; a blouse and jeans looked better on her than Jaune would ever admit out loud.

There was a tense moment of silence before Winter cleared her throat and finally spoke. "Weiss, Jaune," she said in her teacher voice.

For the life of him, Jaune couldn't bring himself to speak.

"H-Hello, Winter," Weiss said instead, managing to sound only a bit nervous. "What are you doing here?"

Winter's eyes flicked to the side, just once and quick enough that Jaune almost thought he imagined it. "I was just discussing some school related particulars with a colleague of mine."

"Liar," Jaune mumbled under his breath. He felt Weiss tense at that, and he realized he still held firmly onto her arm. He dropped his hand back to his side, but Jaune couldn't help his fingers digging into his palms. He was sure his knuckles were as white as Winter's hair.

"What about you? I…was under the impression that you two were staying at home today."

_What gave you that idea? _Jaune thought darkly. Had she expected them to be cowed into being stuck in their rooms because she had chastised them last night?

Again, Weiss spoke up for both of them. "We just wanted some ice cream, and I wanted to show Jaune this place, but it turns out he's already been here." She laughed awkwardly. "Oh, well. We should get go-"

"Mind if we eat with you?" Jaune blurted out.

Winter's jaw dropped for a split second before she regained her composure. If Jaune's eye weren't firmly locked onto her face, he might have missed it.

"Jaune, I really don't think that's a good-"

"What's the harm, Winter?" The man who had been sitting with Winter walked up beside her, a casual smile on his lips. He wore a short-sleeved collared shirt and khakis, but managed to make it look almost professional. He reached out a hand, as if to shake.

"The name's Taiyang, but everyone just calls me Tai." Jaune froze, his breath caught in his throat.

This was him. Winter loved this man enough to have an affair with him. This was who Jaune never would, never _could_ be.

Weiss shot him a concerned look and hesitantly raised her hand to meet Taiyang's.

"It's...nice to meet you."

"You must be Weiss, right? Winter's told me so much about you. And you're...Jaune?" He must have sensed something was off, since he didn't try to shake hands.

The older man—he must have been in his late thirties—pinned him with his eyes. There was no way to escape the question or the situation. Regret flooded Jaune for jumping feet first into the deep end of this mess without preparing himself.

"Yeah," Jaune said lamely, his mouth dry from the focus he was getting from everyone. Tai brush off the awkward atmosphere easily as he ushered them to the booth where him and Winter had been sitting.

"Well, come sit! There's no need to be shy."

"Tai," Winter pleaded—the way she said his name _hurt_ Jaune to the core—as he gently pushed her to sit and slid in next to her, "this isn't a good-"

"Winter, it's fine," Taiyang grinned. "Stop worrying."

That flippant attitude and easy dismissal pissed Jaune off, and that more than anything restarted his brain.

"So how do you know Winter?" Jaune said, trying to keep the bite from his voice.

Taiyang ran a hand through his messy blond locks and chuckled. It was just a shade darker than Jaune's own hair. Their eyes, though, were the same. Jaune looked into those deep blue pools and recognized them from the mirror every morning.

"I'm a professor at Signal Middle School. A couple of years ago we happen to meet at the yearly Vale Teacher Conference. We got put into the same group during an exercise and she knew some of my old students, and we've just kept in contact since."

He saw Weiss wring her hands underneath the table. "And what 'particulars' were you discussing?" she asked with a bit of an edge in her voice.

Winter's eyes darted from Jaune to Weiss and narrowed just the slightest bit. "We were just talking about the upcoming midterms. Tai has been a teacher for a lot longer than I have, so he gives me advice."

Jaune didn't buy it, and the way Weiss crossed her arms told him that she didn't either. Neither of them responded to the obvious lie.

"Winter," Tai said with a sigh, "they're not buying it."

"Oh really, what tipped it off?" Weiss asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Winter took a deep breath. "Yes, we're...dating, but, frankly, I don't see how that's your business."

Jaune couldn't control his fists slamming down on the table, which got shocked looks from everyone. This time, he didn't hold back the anger from seeping into his voice. "It is when he's a married man."

Jaune had never seen such a panicked look from Winter. Her mouth opened and closed at a loss for what to say. Taiyang, however, looked as calm as he had since the beginning. His eyes were focused directly onto Jaune's.

"How...how did you find all of this out?" Winter stammered.

"Last year I overheard you two arguing on the phone. I pieced it together from what you were saying." Weiss almost looked ashamed at having admitted to eavesdropping, but her concern for her sister shone through.

"But why did you tell Jaune?" Winter accused. "He has nothing to do with-"

"She asked for my help," Jaune said, "because I told her I saw you crying in class and she was worried about you."

"Weiss, I told you last year that this has nothing to do with you!" Winter said as she leaned forward on the table. "I cannot _believe_ you eavesdropped on my private conversa-"

"Winter," Taiyang said quietly, "let's not treat them like children."

Winter looked at him, and the way she did killed Jaune a bit inside. He knew she must have felt so betrayed by him and Weiss, and that must have hurt her, but this..._man_ was hurting her even more.

"Jaune, Weiss," Taiyang said, "I'm not gonna sugar coat it. I'm not happy in my marriage. I've been meaning to bring up a divorce for years now but there are...reasons that I've been delaying. This is not such a clear cut situation as you might think it is."

"What the hell could possibly be a good enough reason to make Winter cry," Jaune growled. Taiyang's eyes widened for a split second, and it gave Jaune a twisted satisfaction that he finally elicited a response from the man.

"Look," Taiyang said, "when I was your age, I also saw the world in black and white, so I understand. Your sense of justice is strong and you want the world to just be right and good all the time, but that's not how-"

Jaune stood up and grabbed the older man by the collar. Before he even realized what he was doing, his fist was raised. Something held him back.

"Jaune," Weiss said sternly as she held his arm from punching Taiyang. He didn't know how she had reacted so fast, but as much as he struggled, her grip was firm. They stood there for a moment, Jaune staring into Taiyang's eyes, waiting for any other reaction than _understanding_. That was more frustrating than anything else.

"If you _ever_," Jaune whispered, "make her cry again, Weiss won't be able to stop me next time." He couldn't bring himself to look at Winter to see her reaction.

He pushed Taiyang back into his seat and stormed off. He heard Weiss right behind him as they exited the store and got into her car.

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked as she started the car.

"I'm fine," Jaune said. The hum of the engine drowned out whatever Weiss mumbled in response, but it was hard to care.

The drive home was silent.

0o0o0o0o0

No matter how hard Ren had tried to get him to talk, Jaune wasn't in the mood to explain his bad mood. The lingering anger from Saturday night and Sunday afternoon had faded into the depressing reality of his situation, and Jaune had never been good at talking to others about his problems. Especially not after his mom had…

Especially not after his mom.

Not only had he worsened his already strained relationship with Winter, he had alienated Weiss with his uncharacteristic outburst at Bruno's Gelato. And while he hadn't heard what had been discussed, Sun had seen Jaune storm out and had approached him at school with his concern. Jaune couldn't even shift the tiniest amount of blame on Sun for not warning him of Winter's presence since apparently Sun had been in the back when she and Taiyang had gotten their orders.

Sun must have told Ren what he saw, since Ren was weirdly insistent on what Jaune had done on Sunday. It hadn't felt right, brushing off his best friend, but Jaune just wasn't ready to talk about it with anyone yet.

Classes passed by in a blur, and Jaune could barely remember anything his teacher's had said. He spent break and lunch on his own in the library, ignoring the texts in the groupchat asking him to join his friends.

Winter's class at the end of the school day was the worst. Jaune memorized the patterns in the wood of his desk that day with how long he stared at it.

Either through sheer luck or by design on her part, Jaune managed to not look at or speak to Winter at all. When the bell signalled the end of school, Jaune was one of the first ones out of the class.

The only thing Jaune noticed as he started the walk home was the stifling summer heat. The only warning to the backpack hitting his shoulder was the quick steps behind him that preceded it.

"Ow!" Jaune yelled, the first thing he had said in hours. He turned, rubbing the now sore spot, as he faced Weiss staring at him with eyebrows drawn down in annoyance.

"So I'm not important enough to wait for?" she challenged with a hand on her hip.

Jaune's eyes widened. "Oh...I'm sorry, Weiss," he said sheepishly, "I was just so lost in thought that…"

Weiss harrumphed. "You're lucky I'm even _gracing_ you with my presence right now after how you've treated me over the last twenty-four hours!"

Jaune didn't even know how to respond to that.

"First off," she said as she started to storm off towards their house, "you never properly thanked me for the ice cream." Jaune had no choice but to stumble after her.

"I, uhh-"

"Secondly, you dragged me into that situation yesterday without even warning me! I thought the plan was to get access to Winter's phone and then we'd see what to do after that. But no! You had to rashly barge in like the idiot _man_ you are!

"I don't think gender has anything to do with-"

"And _then_, you have the _audacity_ to ignore me for the _rest_ of that horrible day _and_ the next!" Her footsteps echoed with each emphasized word. Any other time, Jaune would have been impressed. Now he was just scared.

"Uh, Weiss-"

"Did you even think to ask me how I felt? To see if I was okay? I can't exactly talk to anyone else about this problem, you know! I just-"

Jaune grabbed her shoulder and spun her to face him.

"Weiss!" he said. She finally stopped at glared at him, and he was shocked to find her eyes were wet with unshed tears. "I'm...sorry. Really, I am. For the longest time it's been just me and my dad, and a lot of times what that really meant was that it was just me. I'm not used to...to _this._"

Jaune looked to the side and swallowed hard. "So, I'm sorry. I'll take full responsibility for this. I just let my emotions get to me." He was saying too much, giving too many pieces to the puzzle, but with everything that had happened in the past few days, Jaune had a hard time caring.

She stared at him for a long time. With how smart she was, Jaune knew a million thoughts had flew through her head in that pause.

"Okay," she said simply.

Jaune raised his eyebrow. "Okay?"

Weiss nodded. "Okay. But next time you're paying for the ice cream."

Jaune chuckled in spite of himself. "Glad to know there'll be a next time." Weiss pouted, but her blush was telling. She turned, and they began walking towards home.

"I'm not the only one you should apologize to, by the way."

"You're not? Who else is there?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Do you know how annoying it was having both Ren and Sun approach me to find out what was wrong with you? They were beside themselves with worry."

"Oh," Jaune said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Duh." He sent a quick text to each of them with an apology and a promise to explain later. Although he'd have to limit what he'd tell Sun since only Ren knew of his new home situation. And knowing Sun's big mouth, that was for the best.

As soon as he looked back up from his phone, he knew that his streak of bad luck wasn't over yet.

Jaune and Weiss were still on the school block, and pockets of students were wandering around, either waiting for their parents or walking home. And gathered around the sidewalk in front of them, horsing around with each other and being nuisances in general, were Cardin Winchester and his three cronies. Before he could even think to tell Weiss they should go around, Cardin spotted him, and a feral grin spread across his face.

"Hey, Jauney-boy!" he said as he sauntered over, his goons trailing behind him. "Long time, no see." Weiss' eyes darted to him, and Jaune somehow knew she understood the situation already.

"Yeah. man," Russel jeered. "Don't you care about us anymore? It's like we're not even friends anymore."

Jaune laughed nervously as he shrunk in on himself. "Yeah, well, what can I say. I've been busy."

Cardin threw a heavy arm around Jaune's shoulders and pressed down hard. "Listen, I just want you to know that I have no hard feelings about you ratting me out to the ice queen. I'll be the bigger man and say I forgive you."

"Look, Cardin," Jaune said with a sigh, trying and failing to shrug the taller boy off, "I'm really not in the mood right now."

Cardin chuckled. "Look at Jauney-boy, all grown up. Finally standing up for yourself, eh? Trying to look like a man in front of your new girlfriend?" All of his cronies laughed like he actually said something funny.

Jaune bucked and finally slipped out of Cardin's grip. "She's not my girlfriend."

"Could've fooled me," Cardin said with a smirk. "But if she's up for grabs, then-"

"_She_," Weiss said, "doesn't want anything to do with you."

Jaune saw Cardin frown for a split second before his wicked grin returned. _Don't say anything, Weiss_, he begged. _Just let him have his fun and we'll be on our way._

"That's okay. A scrawny thing like you couldn't handle all this man anyway."

"I'm sure," Weiss said with a roll of her eyes. "A gorilla like you is a bit on the stupider end of the spectrum for me."

Everyone was silent. Jaune cringed, knowing that there was no way Cardin wouldn't retaliate. Most people didn't stand up to him; they were too afraid to. On the rare occasion that someone did, they always got the worst of what Cardin could dish out.

"You're lucky I even gave you the time of day you little prude," he sneered. "A stuck up rich girl like you doesn't know the first thing about what a real man is like. Besides, I wouldn't want to touch someone who's related to that icy bitch." For some reason, Weiss recoiled as if he had slapped her..

"Fuck off, Cardin," Jaune growled.

"Oh, big man wants to step in now for his girlfriend," Cardin said as he pushed up right in front of Jaune. "You know what I think, Jauney-boy? I think-"

"With all due respect, Mr. Winchester, I doubt Mr. Arc cares at all for what you think." Jaune saw Cardin pale in fear before he shut his eyes tight. That was the last voice he wanted to hear right now.

"Ms. Schnee! I didn't mean-"

"Don't bother trying to come up with an excuse," Winter said, her voice cold enough to frost over everyone in the vicinity, even during the heat of summer. He didn't dare look at her. "I could care care less what you want to call me during your free time, but bullying my younger sister is quite a bold move."

"I want you four in detention tomorrow, and you're lucky that's all I give you after the talk I gave you last month, Mr. Winchester." Jaune heard Cardin audibly gulp. Winter could put the fear of God in anyone. "Now, run along." He'd never heard Cardin and them run so fast outside of football practice.

From his peripheral, Jaune could see Weiss staring at the ground, just like he was. "I could've handled that," she said, almost a whisper..

"I'm sure," Winter said in her teacher voice. He saw Weiss flinch at that tone, and he was sure he did, too. "You two should be more careful about who you stumble upon." And with that, she walked away. Jaune let out a shaky breath.

The rest of the walk home was silent.

0o0o0o0o0

Despite technically getting off work the earliest of the three adults living in their house, Winter was usually the last one home on weekdays. Jaune waited until he heard her fading footsteps presumably go into her room. He longed to follow her, to barge into that room and solve the mess he had gotten them into, but he knew that was a horrible idea. Even if he longed to look at her ice blue eyes again, he couldn't bring himself to. It left an ache in his chest.

No, he had somewhere else to go tonight.

Jaune and Weiss' rooms were the only ones on the second floor, but he was still careful as he made his way to her door and knocked lightly.

"Weiss?"

A pause. "Come in."

Weiss' room was as orderly as he expected it to be. Not a single thing was out of place, and he'd bet money that not a speck of dust could be found anywhere. Weiss sat at her modern-looking office desk in the corner, textbooks and notebooks open neatly in front of her.

"Hey," he said lamely.

Weiss swiveled her chair to face him as he closed the door. "Did you need something?" Her nightgown made her look elegant, even at this hour.

"Not really," Jaune said with his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants to seem casual. "I just wanted to see how you were doing." That look she made after Cardin's comments was stuck in his head. Why had she reacted like that?

There was a quick darting of her eyes that Jaune would have missed if he hadn't been looking for it. Something was definitely up.

"I'm fine," Weiss said curtly. Her tone reminded him of the one Winter used on Cardin. The one she had used on _Jaune_. It struck him then just how much the two sisters resembled each other in both appearance and personality, despite their few stark differences.

"Weiss, you were there for me when I needed it, multiple times already. I can tell something's bothering you." Circumstance had pushed them close in their short time together, and while he claimed no expertise, he was pretty confident he could read Weiss fairly well.

"I said I'm fine!" she yelled, and Jaune was shocked to see a tear spill down her cheek. He rushed up and kneeled in front of her where she sat.

"Weiss," he said softly, "even if you just wanna vent, I'm here."

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "You idiot," she said, though there was no bite in it. "Why are you so stubborn?"

Jaune shrugged. "It's an Arc thing. You'll get used to it." Weiss rolled her eyes, but a tiny smile made its way onto her lips. The smile didn't last, though, and the reality of the conversation set back in.

"Promise you won't say anything to Winter," Weiss said as she lowered her gaze, "or mom or your dad."

"I promise," Jaune said with no hesitation.

She sighed. "I doubt Sun or Neptune told you about it, but when I was at Haven, I didn't exactly have many friends. You remember the girl from the mixer, Reese? She was one of the only people who genuinely liked me."

"Anyway, a group of girls who had it out for me started...rumors about me, and they spread it all around the school. I got teased a lot about it. What Cardin said just reminded me of that."

"Are you sure that's it?" Jaune asked. "You don't seem the type to let one comment like that get to you."

Weiss fidgeted in her seat. "Maybe...maybe it's not just Cardin saying those things."

Jaune stood up. "Who is it?" he said in a cold voice.

"Jaune," Weiss said quickly as she stood up and grabbed his arm, "relax. I can...I can handle it. I've taught myself not to rise to their silly provocations. Besides, I'm already used to it from Haven."

"No, Weiss, I know what it's like to be bullied, and that's exactly what this is." All those years of Cardin tormenting him were a living hell. Jaune wasn't about to sit by while Weiss went through that, too. "I'll tell Winter if I have to."

Weiss' grip on his arm tightened. "Jaune! You promised!" she said in a panicked voice.

He had. But he had promised himself long ago that he would never sit idly while someone he cared for went through what he did.

"Let go, Weiss, you can't change my mind. I have to go-"

"I'll let you pretend I'm her!"

The absurdity of that statement made Jaune pause. "Huh?"

A blush crept onto her face. "I said, I'll let you pretend I'm Winter."

Jaune's heartbeat drummed loudly in his ear. "What?"

Her blush threatened to engulf her whole face. "Do you really have to make me explain it further?! I'm saying you can turn off the lights, pretend I'm Winter, and..._kiss_. In exchange, you can't tell Winter, or anyone, what I told you!"

He was surprised his jaw didn't break through to the first floor. _Of course she figured it out. _"But why?"

"I'm tired of Winter treating me like an incompetent baby my whole life," Weiss said. The bitterness in her voice told Jaune this was an old issue between the two sisters. That's why I never told her about the rumors at Haven, and why you can't tell her about it now. So please."

It was absolutely idiotic to even consider her offer. Jaune knew the right thing was to tell Winter so she could find out who was bullying Weiss and put a stop to it. He _knew_ what he should do.

But…

But the ache in his chest that hadn't gone away burned brighter than it ever had before. Winter was an unattainable dream. The end of a journey that had no road. And that was even before he had found out about..._that man_. Winter Schnee was forever closed off to him, in every possible way.

So if he could pretend, just once, even if it was a lie, even if it was selfish, and even if it was completely wrong…

_Damn,_ Jaune thought bitterly,_ I really am the worst, huh._

"Okay."

Weiss looked up at him with a mixture of hope and nervousness. "Okay?" she said with a hint of uncertainty.

Jaune nodded, his mouth dry. She gulped, as if she hadn't expected him to agree. Weiss walked stiffly to the light switch, and Jaune yelped when she flicked it off. The moonlight that bled through the window was enough to vaguely see.

After locking the door with a mumbled "Just in case," Weiss gripped his trembling hand and led him to the bed. The closer they got, the faster his heart beat.

"Weiss," he stammered as they got to the edge, "are you sure about-"

She pushed his chest and he fell backwards onto the bed, landing with a soft thud.

"I'm not Weiss," she said voice he had never heard Weiss use. It was almost _sultry_, though he could see her entire face was red. "I'm Winter." She climbed on top of him, and her bare leg brushed up against his hand. He flinched at how smooth it was.

White hair spilled down the side of her head and tickled his face for a moment before she brushed it back. The room was so silent that she must have heard his thunderous heartbeat.

Even so, slowly, deliberately, she leaned down and brushed her lips against his. She held it for a what could have been a moment or an eternity, Jaune couldn't tell. All he knew was that he had never felt anything so soft, tasted anything so sweet.

And then it ended.

With how hard they were both blushing, the room should have lit up exposing their secret, but the darkness of the night lent it a sensual quality instead. He felt the hot air of her breathe tickle his face as she hovered only an inch above him.

"Jaune," she breathed.

And though he knew it was a complete fabrication, Jaune whispered back, his voice husky.

"Winter."

0o0o0o0o0

**Welp, there it is. Am I evil, or am I evil? I'm really happy with how this turned out, ESPECIALLY the end.**

**I bet a lot of you thought it was gonna be Qrow with Winter but I wanted to spice it up, and this is a way for me to tie in Ruby and Yang into the story later.**

**If Weiss' forwardness seems a little OOC to you, I promise there's a reason for it. I touched on it a bit here, but she's been bullied about being prudish and stuck up for most of high school, and Weiss has always been a rebel in canon, so in this story that manifests as wanting to prove that label wrong. She's more willing to be outgoing in this specific scenario because she's comfortable with Jaune.**

**Anyway, I don't want to elaborate too much on her or Jaune's thought process and justifications, as that'll be delved into next chapter (whenever the hell that comes out).**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think! It means more to me than you know, and serves as motivation to get the next chapter out faster. I really appreciate any support you guys show! Once again, thank you!**


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